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How to deal with different measurement systems? (Metric vs Imperial)

When selling products across the globe you invariably have to deal with the different measurement systems in use.

To explain how SyncForce deals with different measurement systems (Metric versus Imperial), a distinction can be made between customer specific attributes, standardized SyncForce attributes (like those for trade items) and external classification attributes (like ETIM).

Customer specific attributes

It is possible to configure multiple Units of Measure (UoM) for one attribute. When the user switches from one unit to another unit, the value is not calculated based on the other unit.

When it comes to different measurement systems, the best practice is NOT to combine these in the same attribute. Instead a duplicate attribute can be created for each measurement system with their own UoM options, like this:

  • Weight (kg, g)
  • Weight (lb, oz)

This provides compatibility with a lot of systems and gives flexibility in usage like:

  • Storing both values for a product (not just one and having to calculate the other all the time).
  • Option to make one measurement system primary and have the value of the other always calculated.
  • Option to set manage rights for only one of the two variants in such that the attribute value which is calculated, cannot be adjusted.
  • In the Product Catalog can be configured which attributes are available for a user group. This will give the option to show the Metric value to the European users and the Imperial value to American users for example.
  • Option to only have one measurement system available depending on the classification (if that type of product is only sold in countries with that measurement system).

Standardized SyncForce attributes

A good example of these type of attributes are the dimensions, volume, gross and net weight of trade items. The dimensions of a trade item can be managed in either the units of the Metric system or the Imperial system:

The volume is automatically calculated in m³.

External classification attributes

Different classification systems might use an alternative method than SyncForce to deal with different measurement systems. Below a list of classification systems and a short description how they deal with this.

ETIM

Attributes, called Features in ETIM, have a unique identifier consisting of the letters EF (=ETIM Feature) followed bij 7 numbers when they are meant for the Metric system. If that attribute is also available for the Imperial metric system the code will be similar except the first number after EF is replace by an I (=Imperial). For example, the feature EF004563 would be in mm for a specific class and EFI04563 would be the same attribute, but then in inches.